State Landmark Status Sought for Beale’s Cut
The city of Santa Clarita and a landowner are seeking to have a famous pioneer pass known as Beale’s Cut designated as a state historical landmark.
The cut is a narrow, 90-foot-deep gash in the rocky pass that separates the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys. Excavated in 1862 by U. S. Army Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale, it opened trade between Los Angeles and the north and was the only convenient passageway connecting the two regions for years.
The cut is located on a 117-acre parcel east of Sierra Highway a few miles south of San Fernando Road. Hondo Oil & Gas Co. owns the land and wants to dedicate about 39 acres, including the cut, as open space, and build a business park on the rest. The company needs the city’s permission for the project.
The Santa Clarita City Council late Tuesday voted 5 to 0 to write a letter to the state Historical Resources Commission in support of designating Beale’s Cut as a historical landmark.
But the council’s support is not a guarantee that it will approve the business park development, planners said.
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